Tuesday, November 17, 2009

So, after reading that article I can only come to one conclusion: people see what they want to see. I guess it doesn't matter how many pictures we find of Nixon bowing to various people, or any other presidents, naysayers are still going to condemn Obama for his bows.

I am glad that Blue Texan wrote this article and showed the public that they shouldn't jump to conclusions. There are always various perspectives on any story, but at least make sure you have explored all evidence before you start 'yelling in the streets.'

Saturday, November 14, 2009

"si fueris Romae, Romano vivitomore; si fueris alibi, vivito sicut ibi." If you cannot read Latin, this roughly (very roughly) translates to "when in Rome do as the Romans do." I am using this quote to start off my post because it relates to criticism that President Obama has been receiving by the press for bowing to leaders of foreign countries. You all probably remember the media-hoopla that resulted when Obama bowed to the Saudi Arabian King back in April, but Obama is back at it again. This time, he bowed to the Japanese Emperor Akihito.

It seems however that some people find this appalling and shameful. In the comments section of a Examiner.comarticle on Obama's bow one commentator wrote: "Ass Kisser." Another comment reads "I think I just threw up in my mouth." Is it really that bad? Seriously? Am I just too liberal minded to not get the jaw-dropping significance of this act?

In my opinion I do not see anything wrong with bowing. When you are visiting another country and you meet the president, king, emperor, etc. of that country, I think it is polite to bow. What would the critics of his bows have Obama do? When a foreign leader goes to shake Obama's hand, have Obama extend his hand and then at the very last second take it away and then rub it through his hair while yelling out "syke!"???? Come on people, you know that the United States doesn't really have the best public image in many of the countries around the world. Obama is acting as a visiting dignitary should: respectful and dignified.

Some people have stated that "the Emperor did not return the bow." While this is true, I am not sure these same people have noticed how much younger Obama is than the Emperor. If you watch the youtube video you can notice that the Emperor is much older and probably not as spry as Obama. During the bow in the video at 0:11 you can notice that the Emperor is caught off guard by the bow, and by the time he is about to return the gesture, Obama is finished. It is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of courtesy.

So in conclusion, I would not to tell people to stop trying to turn Obama's kindness and dignified actions into something they are not. I seriously do not believe he is communist; he is not showing weakness or subservience; he is just plainly acting like a political figure should act. What I argue is that, like the Latin quote I started this article with, courtesy in a foreign country goes a long way and it is especially important for political figures who are in the media and public spotlight. Maybe people have been subjected to Bush for too many years to remember what political diplomacy and courtesy actually look like.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I am sure that many of you have probably heard about Carrie Prejean's antics on Larry King Live, but for those of you that have not, here is a clip:

I think La Figa gives the best summarization of the video and what actually happened, but I want to get at something else...a larger overarching theme that this brings up. She kept telling Larry that she couldn't talk about her mediation with the Miss USA Pageant and continuously called Larry "inappropriate." She even threatened to leave the show at one point because he was being "inappropriate." However, all he did was ask her a question about the mediation. He never talked down to her; he never insulted her; I don't even think he looked at her the wrong way.

People like Miss Prejean do not make me feel sorry for them. I know some individuals are probably saying "people should leave the poor girl alone, she's been through enough," but is that really Larry King's fault? or other media personalities like him? I don't think it is. She agreed to go on the Larry King Show and I am sure she has agreed to appear on many other shows. We all know that King is going to ask questions that are controversial or get at the crux of what popular media wants to know. So, why is Prejean so oblivious to this? Personally I don't think she is. As you can see from the video, she talks to a 'handler' off screen before she removes her mic. She has people influencing what she says and where she says it. This is purely publicity (as you can probably tell).

So I do not feel sorry for people like Prejean. They agree to be on these shows where they know the host is in control of how the interview questions go. If she wants a pro-Carrie-Prejean-question-period, maybe she should create her own television show, although I don't think many people would watch.